Railroad-excavator



E. 0. BAXTER. MACHINERY FOR EXGAVATING 0N. RAILROADS.

No. 25,314. Patented-Sept. 6, 1859.

5% a. 1 JQLM- ICE.

E. O. BAXTER, OF FORESTON, ILLINOIS.

RAILROAD-EXCAVAT OR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,814, dated September 6, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. O. BAXTER, of Foreston, in the county of Ogle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinery for Excavating on Railroads; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, of which Figure 1, represents a plan View of the car with an excavator attached to one side. Fig. 2, shows a side elevation of the same.

ig. 3, is a perspective view of the plow used to loosen the earth preparatory to using the excavator, Fig. 4, is a perspective view of the excavator showing clearly the construction of the same. Fig. 5, is an end view of the same showing the parts in two positions.

My invention is an improvement in machinery for removing the earth which washes down from embankments and fills up the drains on either side of the railway where it passes through deep cuts; and con sists in the employment of plows and excavators of a peculiar construction, which are connected to suitable arms extending out from the sides of a car by strong chains, so that as the car progresses the earth can be taken up and removed to the nearest fillings, described and represented as follows The car to be used for this purpose is in every respect similar to a common open gravel car, and near each end, upon the platform A, of this car are arranged two strong timbers B, O. The arrangement of the timbers are alike on either end of the car so that a description of those on one end will give a clear understanding of those on the opposite end. The timbers B, O, extend laterally across the platform and are braced thereon by standards D, which serve also as bearings for friction rollers E. These rollers in connection with the standards keep the timbers firmly down upon the platform at the same time they allow them to be extended or contracted upon the platform for the purposes hereinafter explained.

On the under side of the timbers B, O, are racks (not shown in the drawings) which are operated by pinions fixed upon the shafts of spur wheels F, G, so that by operating these spur wheels with a lever placed in holes in the enlargement F, the timbers can be thrown out from, or drawn in on the platform as may be found necessary,--a pawl Gr, serves to keep the timbers extended. On the extreme ends of these timbers are eyes H, H, through which pass chains J, J these are connected by strong hooks K, to the front of the car and passing through the eyes H, H, are carried to the rear of the car and attached to either the plows, or excavators as occasion may require. The object of these timbers or arms B, C, it will be readily seen, is, to keep the plows or excavators at acertain distance from the rails;-the end of the arms being carried out the distance required to make the excavationthe plows will keep in a straight line with the ends of the arms, so that the distance the ditch is to be dug from the rails, or the ends of the cross-ties will be determined by the extent to which the arms are thrown out from the sides of the car.

For the purpose of loosening and excavating or digging the earth from the ditch and for conveying it therefrom, I first use two plows, (see Fig. 3,) placed one on each side of the track. These plows consist of a semicircular cutter at, having cutting edges extending from near the oint to the heel of the sole plate 6,-0, c, 0, are coulters or cutters which serve as standards and braces for the semi-circular cutter a. These are fixed rigidly to a beam (Z. The depth to which this plow is to be run in the ground is regulated by a lever e, pivoted at its front end to a standard f, which passes vertically through a slot in beam (Z, and carries on its end a wheel 9. The lever has its fulcrum at h, and proceeds to the rear of the beam where it is operated so as to guide the plow while in the ground, by raising and depressing the point of the plow or sole plate. 6. The standards 71, proceeding from the rear part of the beam (Z, serve to keep the end of lever e, fixed in any desired position. Two plows of this construction are attached to the chains J, J, of the car and run through the earth, loosening it on either side of the track the depth required to remove the earth. The earth is then excavated and removed by a semi-cylindrical excavator A, composed of two portions B, B, which are hinged together by a rod running its entire length, for the purpose of readily removing the load of earth therefrom. This excavator has an adjustable scoop O, corresponding in shape and size to the cutter a, of the plow,

which is hinged to the front of the excavator and guided in its passage through the ground by a lever D, having its fulcrum in cross-piece E, and connected at one end to a vertical coulter F, and the other end of the lever having a slot through it, through which passes a standard G, can be rigidly fixed in any desired position. The chain or chains J, J, are attached to a piece J, having a free vertical motion. The two arms of this piece are connected to the excavator by rods or hooks L, L. The cross braces N, serve to keep the two sides B, B, in position, these are fixed to the sides by bolts which can be removed for extending the excavator or for depositing the load of earth.

This description will suffice to give a general comprehension of the plan and arrangement adopted by me for excavating the earth along the railroad, and for keeping the ditch free from the wash of the slopes.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

The arrangement and combination of adjustable timbers or arms B, C, plow, and excavator, as above described; when the same are employed in the manner herein above shown, for the purpose of loosening and removing the earth and keeping the ditch free from the wash of the slopes on rail-roads.

E. O. BAXTER.

Witnesses:

ELIHU B. BAXTER, SAMUEL H. NIKIRK. 

